STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Department of State Treasurer
Request for Proposal #: 07-S12040
Consultant Services for North Carolina ABLE Program
Date of Issue: February 19, 2016
Proposal Opening Date: February 29, 2016
At 2:00 PM ET
Direct all inquiries concerning this RFP to:
Debra Clark
Procurement and Contracting Manager
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 919-814-3913
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Request for Proposal #
07-S12040
______________________________________________________
For internal State agency processing, including tabulation of proposals in the Interactive Purchasing System (IPS),
please provide your company’s Federal Employer Identification Number or alternate identification number (e.g.
Social Security Number). Pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 132-1.10(b) this identification number shall
not be released to the public. This page will be removed and shredded, or otherwise kept confidential, before
the procurement file is made available for public inspection.
This page is to be filled out and returned with your proposal.
Failure to do so may subject your proposal to rejection.
ID Number:
______________________________________________________
Federal ID Number or Social Security Number
___________________________________________________
Vendor Name
RFP Number: 07-S12040
Vendor:_______________________________________
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Department of State Treasurer
Refer ALL Inquiries regarding this RFP to:
NC Department of State Treasurer
Attn: Debra Clark or Aubrey Collins
3200 Atlantic Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27604-1668
[email protected]
919-814-3913 OR
[email protected]
919-814-3896
Request for Proposal # 07-S12040
Proposals will be publicly opened: February 29, 2016 at
2:00 ET
Contract Type: Open Market
Commodity No. and Description: 918-32 Consulting
Services
Using Agency: Department of State Treasurer
Requisition No.:
EXECUTION
In compliance with this Request for Proposals, and subject to all the conditions herein, the undersigned Vendor offers and
agrees to furnish and deliver any or all items upon which prices are bid, at the prices set opposite each item within the time
specified herein. By executing this proposal, the undersigned Vendor certifies that this proposal is submitted competitively and
without collusion (G.S. 143-54), that none of its officers, directors, or owners of an unincorporated business entity has been
convicted of any violations of Chapter 78A of the General Statutes, the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (G.S. 143-59.2), and that it is not an ineligible Vendor as set forth in G.S. 143-59.1. False certification is a Class I felony.
Furthermore by executing this proposal, the undersigned certifies to the best of Vendor’s knowledge and belief, that it and its
principals are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from
covered transactions by any Federal or State department or agency. As required by G.S. §143-48.5, the undersigned Vendor
certifies that it, and each of its sub-Contractors for any Contract awarded as a result of this RFP, complies with the requirements
of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the NC General Statutes, including the requirement for each employer with more than 25 employees
in North Carolina to verify the work authorization of its employees through the federal E-Verify system. G.S. 133-32 and
Executive Order 24 (2009) prohibit the offer to, or acceptance by, any State Employee associated with the preparing plans,
specifications, estimates for public Contract; or awarding or administering public Contracts; or inspecting or supervising delivery
of the public Contract of any gift from anyone with a Contract with the State, or from any person seeking to do business with the
State. By execution of any response in this procurement, you attest, for your entire organization and its employees or agents,
that you are not aware that any such gift has been offered, accepted, or promised by any employees of your organization.
Failure to execute/sign proposal prior to submittal shall render proposal invalid and it WILL BE REJECTED.
Late proposals cannot be accepted.
VENDOR:
STREET ADDRESS:
P.O. BOX:
ZIP:
CITY & STATE & ZIP:
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
TOLL FREE TEL. NO:
PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS ADDRESS IF DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE (SEE INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS ITEM #10):
PRINT NAME & TITLE OF PERSON SIGNING ON BEHALF OF VENDOR:
FAX NUMBER:
VENDOR’S AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE:
E-MAIL:
DATE:
Offer valid for at least 60 days from date of proposal opening, unless otherwise stated here: ______ days. After this time, any
withdrawal of offer shall be made in writing, effective upon receipt by the agency issuing this RFP.
ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSAL
If any or all parts of this proposal are accepted by the State of North Carolina, an authorized representative of the Department of
State Treasurer shall affix his/her signature hereto and this document and all provisions of this Request For Proposal along with
the Vendor proposal response and the written results of any negotiations shall then constitute the written agreement between
the parties. A copy of this acceptance will be forwarded to the successful Vendor(s).
FOR STATE USE ONLY: Offer accepted and Contract awarded this ____ day of _______________, 20____, as indicated on
the attached certification, by _______________________________________________ .
(Authorized Representative of the Department of State Treasurer).
Ver: 7/1/15
Page 1 of 5
RFP Number: 07-S12040
Vendor:_______________________________________
Request for Proposal for Consultant Services
North Carolina ABLE Program
Introduction:
On December 19, 2014, the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act was signed into law by
President Obama, which allows people with disabilities and their family members to save money in a
529A account for qualified expenses, similar to the tax-deferred accounts used by families to save for
their children’s college educations. On August 11, 2015, Governor Pat McCrory signed the NC ABLE Act
into law, allowing North Carolina to offer an ABLE Program (“Program”) to its eligible citizens and others
in the country.
I. North Carolina ABLE Program:
This new Program will be overseen by the N.C. Department of State Treasurer (DST) and The North
Carolina ABLE Board of Trustees, which are coordinating the implementation, administration and
communication & education efforts of the Program, with a goal to have NC ABLE accounts offered late in
2016. The Board and DST are responsible for the administration and the management of the Program
through service providers, consultants, other state agencies, advocacy groups and staff. Administration
of the Program is housed in the Retirement Systems Division of DST.
The ABLE Program Trust is administered by the Board of Trustees as per N.C. G.S. §146-86.52. The Board
consists of six members including the State Treasurer who serves as Chair. The Board is authorized to
accept, hold, invest, and disburse contributions, and the interest earned on such contributions from the
Program contributors. Further duties of the Board include the delegation of authority to the State
Treasurer to develop and perform all functions necessary to administer the Program in a manner
compliant with state and federal regulations. The Board may engage the services of a consultant(s) for
rendering professional and technical assistance, as well as retain the services of auditors, attorneys,
investment consulting firms, custodians and any other specialized services necessary for proper Program
administration. The Board is also authorized to develop marketing and promotional materials and must
determine and document in an investment policy statement an appropriate investment strategy for the
Program.
The NC ABLE Program has a solid foundation: the Board of Trustees is in place and our first meeting is
being scheduled. DST has received adequate appropriations for staffing, Program implementation and
first year administrative costs.
II. Challenges for the Program
Two main challenges have been identified regarding the implementation of the NC ABLE Program by the
established “go live” date of December 1, 2016: (1) the creation of a Plan Design (inclusive of investment
Ver: 7/1/15
Page 2 of 5
RFP Number: 07-S12040
Vendor:_______________________________________
structure) and (2) the need for a Program Manager. The investment structure presents a particular
challenge because some Program beneficiaries are expected to frequently withdraw funds from the
Program which challenges the typical notion of investing for a long term and requires the investment
options to meet the needs of both short-term, transactional investors as well as long term investors.
III. Request for Proposal:
DST and the Board seek to engage a consultant to examine and advise the Board regarding the search
and evaluation of a Program Manager (Third Party Administrator) and Investment Consultant for the
Program. The consultant would also advise on Program design and assist through implementation of the
Program.
In response to this request for proposal please provide your firm’s capabilities to perform the following:
1) PLAN DESIGN
Describe how your firm would go about providing the program design services for the
ABLE Program. What experience does your organization have in plan design? What
key Program features should be evaluated in establishing the NC ABLE Program?
Describe the opportunities and processes necessary to partner with other state ABLE
programs to increase scale, therefore, increasing service to participants while
decreasing costs. Please provide specific information.
2) PROGRAM PROVIDER SEARCH AND SELECTION
Describe your firm’s experience in developing and evaluating Program Provider
searches. What are the years of experience and backgrounds of the individuals
responsible for conducting searches?
i. Program Manager – (Third Party Administrator)
a. Describe your firm’s experience and capabilities in conducting RFP searches for a
Program Manager.
b. Describe the process you use to conduct Program Manager searches. Provide an
example of an RFP that you would use in conducting a search.
c. Describe Program Manager Benchmarking studies you have performed. What
aspects of participant communication / education (including call center, field
representatives, on-line tools, collateral pieces,) compliance, fee structure have
you included in your review? How have you assessed performance against
industry peers?
d. Provide a project timeline.
Ver: 7/1/15
Page 3 of 5
RFP Number: 07-S12040
Vendor:_______________________________________
e. Describe your firm’s experience and capabilities in conducting RFP searches for
Marketing and Education providers.
f. Describe the process you use to conduct Marketing and Education provider
searches. Provide an example of an RFP proposal that you would use in
conducting a search.
ii. Participant Services
a.
Describe your firm’s experience and capabilities in conducting RFP searches for
Participant Services.
b. Describe the process you use to conduct Participant Services provider searches.
Provide an example of an RFP that you would use in conducting a search.
3) INVESTMENT CONSULTANT SEARCH AND SELECTION
a. Describe your firm’s experience and capabilities in conducting searches for an
Investment Consultant.
b. Describe the process you use to conduct Investment Consultant searches.
Provide an example of an RFP that you would use in conducting a search.
c. Provide a project timeline.
4) ENGAGING OTHER STATES TO NC ABLE PROGRAM
The consultant would assist NC ABLE Program in contacting and recruiting other states to
join our program. Our expectation is that the consultant would help us through this
entire process of assessing needs and engaging the other state.
Project timeline of this engagement is listed below:
State of North Carolina ABLE Program
All Projects Summary
2016
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
PROJECT
Jul
Aug Sep Oct
RFP - Consultant to Identify Bundled Program Manager (Third Partry Administrator)
RFP development and
evalution to identify
Program Manager
RFP Development and Evaluation - Bundled Program Manager
Project Timeline
Task Not Yet Completed
Task Completed
Meeting with Client
Date of Workplan: 02/02/2016
The projected timeframe for implementation is six months and the desired date of accounts’
openings is late 4th quarter of 2016.
Ver: 7/1/15
Page 4 of 5
Nov Dec
RFP Number: 07-S12040
Vendor:_______________________________________
IV. Terms and Conditions for Submitting Responses:
Please provide a proposal by February 29, 2016 that includes:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
A detailed scope of services
A timeline inclusive of intermediate milestones and deliverables
A consultant team and their relevant experience to the subject project
A fee proposal (proposal is to be inclusive of all direct and indirect costs)
A list of references applicable to the project
All Proposals are subject to acceptance of certain State of North Carolina standard terms and
conditions.
Please submit at least one hard copy of your proposal to:
NC Department of State Treasurer
Attn: Debra Clark or Aubrey Collins
Longleaf Building
3200 Atlantic Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27604-1668
Electronic submissions are permissible and should be sent to Debra Clark and Aubrey Collins at:
[email protected]
[email protected]
Ver: 7/1/15
Page 5 of 5